Spring-wheel.



E. J. GLACKIN.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 6, 1909.

1,0711 53 Patented Aug.26, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. J. GLACKIN.

SPRING WHEEL.

APPLIcgLTIoN FILED 00T. e, 1909.

1,071,1 53, Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2` l il l D STATES PATENT UFFIE,

EDWARD J. GLACKIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPRING-WHEEL.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, Enwnnn J. GLAGKIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident et Chicago, in the county ot' Cook and State et Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spring-IVheels, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act specication.

My invention is concerned with the elastic wheels of the class in which springs o r other elastic cushions are interposed between the hub and the rim, so that jars on the rim are absorbed by the springs or cushions, and if they reach the hub at all, their effect is minimized so as to produce an easy riding vehicle, and it is designed to produce a wheel of the class described, in which the degree of elasticity can be readily regulated to adapt it for different roads and for diiterent loads.

Another object of my invention is to construct a wheel of the class described in which the spring connections between the hub member and the rim member shall have only frictional engagement, thereby increasing the e'lliciency of the wheel.

Another object of my invention is to produce a device of the class described in which any one of the springs may be taken out and replaced without disturbing the remaining springs.

Another object ot my invention is to produce a wheel of the class described in which the tension of the springs shall be distributed more uniformly than has been possible with wheels of this type heretofore devised.

Finally, it is an object ot my invention to produce a wheel oi the class described which shall have the advantages noted and which shall be strong and durable, simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and which shall be eiiieient in its operation.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets et drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the tigures, of which- Figure l is a side elevation of the wheel with a portion ot the upper part of the covering removed and broken away; Fig. 9. is a section on the line A-A of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in perspective illustrating the construction of the individually removable segments connecting the outer and inner annuli et the rim member; Fig. 4L is an enlarged detail substantially in section on the line B-B of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a per- Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application led October 6, 1909.

Patented Aug. 26,1913.

serial No. 521,308.

spective view et a filling block; Fig. G a detail in section illustrating the coperation of the cover plates and the segments; Fig. 7 is a perspective view oil. one of the removable cover plates; Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail of a portion oi Fig. 2; and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a filling bloclr which I may employ.

In its general construction, it will be seen that my wheel is made up of a rim member which carries the tread, and within which is located a hub member adapted to rotate on an axle in the ordinary manner, and between the two members are interposed the springs by which the two .members are permitted to move relatively to each other so that the shock may be absorbed thereby.

In the preferred form of my invention, the hub member consists oil: the ordinary hub l() having the spokes ll and the telly 12, upon which is secured the hub annulus 13 which consists ot a strong circular band of steel resembling a tire but very much wider and extending to either side a considerable distance beyond the telly. The basis oi' the rim member is three annuli, the outer one let ot which is ot the same width as the hub annulus 13, while the two inner ones l5 are much narroiwar and are separated a su'llicient distance to permit the passage of the spokes Il. between them. The rim annulus lll has supported above it at its outer edges by the riveted studs l5 the two narrow annuli 1G, and the tread material 17, which may be composed ot leather, rubber, or any other desired material, is supported outside et the annnli lil and lG. To support the annuli l5 trom the annulus 14 I provide the segments 18, which are preferably removable, and which preferably have the following construction. Each one is provided with the outer and inner ilanges 19 and 20, respectively, and the lange '19 has formed therein the bayonet slot 2l which is adapted to cooperate with the stud l5 to secure the segment in its inner position in a manner that will be readily understood. Between the flanges 19 ot the segments are strips 22, which, together with the studs l5, serve to space the annulus ll. and the annuli 1G apart a proper distance, and after the segment 18 has been put in place, a ,illing block or strip Q3 is pushed in between the flanges 1) and the adjacent ends ou the strips 22 in the manner indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The annulus llt has the recess 24 formed therein to receive the turned down flange 25 of the filling block. The flange 20 is adapted to pass beneath the annulus 15, and a screw 2G is passed through an aperture in the flange and screwed into a threaded aperture in the air nulus 15. By the connections thus described it will be readily apparent that the segments 18 can be readily removed while it is desired to give out and remove any of the springs to be described.

To keep out the dust, and close the spaces between the segments 18, I provide the removable cover plates 27, one of which is shown in perspective in Fig. 7, which are preferably thinner than the segments 18 and have their edges adapted to slip in beneath the undercut edges 28 of the segments 18 in the manner shown in Fig. G. Then the cover plates 27 are in place they can be secured by screws 29 passed through apertures in the ears 30 on the cover plates and screwed into the threaded recesses in the downwardly projecting lugs 31 forming the outer edges of the annuli 15. I preferably provide an aperture 32 in the upper edge of the cover 27, through which a screw may be passed and threaded into a suitable aperture formed in the edge of the spacers 22, or the annuli 1st, as may be desired. To cover the spokes, I preferably provide the disks 33, which have the central apertures 31 therein of suflicientsize to permit of the necessary relative movementbetween the hub and the rim members without interference with the hub proper, and these disks may be secured in place by screws 34 passed through apertures in the edges thereof and into threaded apertures in the ears 35 turned down on the inner edges of the annuli 15, Yas best shown in F i0: 2.

Upon the outer surface of the annulus 13 I secure the U-shaped casings, the open ends of which are adapted to be closed by the end pieces 37 which are removably secured thereto, preferably by the screws 38. Nithin this U-shaped casing 36 I mount the blocks 39, which have the centers of the bolt springs e() secured thereto and an adjusting screw l1 threaded through the spring and block and has its inner end bearing against the outer surface of the annulus 13, and by this means it will be readily seen that I can adjust the tension of the spring as may be desired by turning the screw 41 in or out. lilhere the spring is put under considerable tension so as to raise the bottom of the block 39 any appreciable distance above the outer surface of the annulus 13, I preferably slide in between the bottom of the block and the top of the annulus a filling block 42 of the proper width, shown in Fig. 9, and provided with the open slot 43 to permit the passage of the screw 41. When this filling block 4t2 has been put in place, the screw is preferably manipulated so as to bring the block 39 prompt-ly upon the filling block 42, thus relieving all the pressure on the screw which would tend to strip the threads. The ends of the springs 40 are rounded off, as shown, and they have only frictional engagement with the inner surface of the annulus 1l, so that the hub member is free to adjust itself in any necessary angular relation to the rim member.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably employ two other sets of springs 44e, which are similar to the springs e0, but are similarly supported upon the outer surface of the annuli 15, so that they can be removed or replaced, and are likewise provided with similar adjusting screws to regulate the tension.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications, and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a wheel, the combination with a rim member, of a hub member, the inner periphery of the rim member extending within the outer periphery of the hub member, one set of bowed springs interposed between the outer periphery of the hub member and the inner periphery of the rim member, and another similar set interposed between the outer periphery of the rim member and the outer periphery of thehub member, the two members bein 0' attached only frictionally, the ends of the springs being free to slide on the member to which they are not attached.

2. In a spring wheel, the combination with a rim annulus, of hub annulus, bowed springs having their ends engaging one annulus, blocks held in position on the other annulus and having the center of the springs secured thereto, and screws threaded through the blocks and having their ends engaging the annulus upon which the blocks are supported.

In a spring wheel, the combination with a rim annulus, of a hub annulus, bowed springs having their ends engaging the one annulus7 a casing on the other annulus having one end removable, blocks held in position by said casings and having the centers of the springs secured thereto, screws threaded through the blocks and having their ends engaging the annulus upon which the blocks are supported, and filling blocks adapted to be interposed between the under sides of the spring supporting blocks and the annulus.

el. In a spring wheel, the combination with the two concentric rigidly connected rim annuli, of the hub annulus between the rim annuli, and springs secured to two of the Said annuli and having frictional engagement only with the other annuli so that the angular relations of the hub annulus with the rim annuli may be shifted to any extent.

5. In a spring wheel, the combination with the single outer broad rim annulus and two narrow inner rim annuli, of a single broad hub annulus between the outer and inner rim annuli having its spokes extending between the two inner rim annuli, springs attached to the inner rim annuli and having their free ends frictio-nally engaging the hub annulus, similar springs attached to the hub annulus and engaging the outer rim annulus, and individually removable segments connecting the outer and inner rim annuli.

6. In a springwheel, the combination with two concentric rim annuli, of a hub annulus between the rim annuli, springs interposed between said annuli, and individually removable segments Connecting the outer and inner rim annuli.

7 In a spring wheel7 the combination with two concentric rim annuli, of a hub annulus between the rim annuli, springs. interposed between said annuli, individually removable segments connecting the outer and inner rim annuli, and individually removable segmental cover plates interposed between the removable segments.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this 30th day of September, A. D. 1909.

EDIVARD J. GLACKIN. [n s] Illitnesses JOHN HOWARD MGELROY, I?. E. BRoM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

